Publishable App Types in Marketplace

You can publish different types of applications in Marketplace.

App Type	Runtime Architecture	Deployment Type	Typical Complexity
Cloud App	External	Liferay SaaS / Liferay PaaS	Medium-High
DXP App (OSGi)	Internal	Self-hosted / Liferay PaaS	Medium
Client Extension	External	Liferay SaaS / Liferay PaaS / Self-hosted	Low-Medium
Low-code Configurations	Internal	Liferay SaaS / Liferay PaaS / Self-hosted	Low
Composite App	Mixed	Liferay SaaS / Liferay PaaS / Self-hosted	Low-High

Cloud Apps

Cloud Apps are managed externally and provided as non-deployable micro-service client extensions. These apps are available only for users with a cloud project linked to their Liferay accounts. Read Provisioning Cloud Apps to learn more.

Cloud apps	Technical Implementation
Build	Standalone cloud-native (Spring Boot, Node.js)
Hosting	Cloud infrastructure (AWS, GCP, Azure)
Communication	APIs (REST, OAuth, webhooks)
Authentication	OAuth 2.0 or API tokens

Cloud Apps are used for

Integration with third-party systems
SaaS-style products that extend Liferay functionality
Features requiring independent scaling, background processing, or external services

DXP Apps (OSGi Module)

These are traditional Liferay applications packaged as one or more OSGi modules and deployed into the Liferay runtime. Delivered as .lpkg files that you can install. Read Acquiring DXP Apps to learn more.

DXP Apps	Technical Implementation
Build	OSGi bundles using Java
Build Tools	Liferay Gradle plugins
Deployment	`/osgi/` modules or Marketplace
Runtime	Inside Liferay JVM; direct APIs

DXP Apps are used for

Deep platform extensions
Custom portlets, services, workflows, and permissions
Use cases requiring direct access to Liferay internals

Client Extensions

Client Extensions are lightweight, deployable artifacts that extend Liferay without running inside the Liferay JVM. They communicate via APIs, and you can use them to apply custom code (JavaScript, CSS), embed external applications, or connect to remote services—without deploying modules or modifying Liferay’s core. Client Extensions are the primary customization method for Liferay, and the only method available for SaaS environments. These applications are downloadable and can be run and hosted anywhere. Read Client Extensions to learn more.

Client Extensions	Technical Implementation
Build	Liferay Client Extension framework
Architecture	Frontend (JS/React) or Backend (Remote)
Packaging	ZIP files; Liferay tooling
Communication	Extension points and APIs

Client Extensions are used for

Frontend customizations
External services that integrate with Liferay
Safer extensions that avoid JVM coupling

Low Code Configurations

Low Code configurations use Liferay built-in configuration tools rather than custom code, and are deployed through the UI. These applications are built with Fragments, Object Definitions, Data Sets, Page Templates, and configurations. Navigate through Low Code to learn more.

Low-code configurations	Technical Implementation
Build	Liferay UI or JSON/YAML configurations
Packaging	Marketplace or batch client extensions
Requirements	No custom Java or backend code required

Low-code configurations are used for

Fast customization of User Interface and data models
Vertical solutions with minimal development effort
Configuration-driven applications

Composite Apps

Composite Apps are composed of multiple app types working together, such as OSGi modules + client extensions + low-code elements.

Composite Apps	Feature Category
Build	Collection of independent components
Packaging	According to component type
Delivery	Coordinated Marketplace solution
Architecture	Collection of independent components